Wind And Solar Power Upgrade For U.S. Stadium/Shopping Complex

A one-megawatt solar panel and additional wind energy project will build on an existing 525-kilowatt PV solar power system at a massive U.S. shopping center and stadium complex.

NRG Energy and The Kraft Group has announced an electricity supply agreement for Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The power will be generated at Kraft Group’s Patriot Place, a 1.3 million square foot shopping, entertainment and dining complex complete with its own hotel and situated adjacent to the stadium.

Patriot Place had its first solar power system installed in 2009. Utilizing more than 2,600 solar panels, the original rooftop solar array provides around 30% of the centre’s electricity requirements.

The new project will see solar installation company NRG triple the amount of solar electricity generated at Patriot Place and also install a full-sized wind turbine.

The companies say once the project is completed, Patriot Place/Gillette Stadium will be one of the largest renewable power installations at a major sports venue in the United States.

The new one-megawatt rooftop solar farm will provide up to 60% of Patriot Place’s power and avoid more than 800 metric tons of carbon emissions annually.

A combination of standard and translucent solar panels will be utilised on walkways as well as on the rooftop of the complex. The installation is expected to generate 1.1 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year and should be ready for the start of the USA’s 2012-2013 NFL season.

NRG Energy is a wholesale power generation company based in Princeton, New Jersey. Its portfolio of nuclear, wind and solar power facilities total around 26,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, or enough to provide for the electricity needs of nearly 21 million home.

The company says it owns and operates 485 megawatts of wind power and is the largest solar power company in the United States with more than 900 MW of solar farm capacity currently in operation or under construction by the end of this year; with an additional 1 gigawatt capacity in the pipeline.